Ain't Life Grand?

Having Fun in Grand Haven

We had a wonderful time visiting the beautiful

town of Grand Haven this weekend.  Grand Haven

is a coastal town along the edge of one of the American

Great Lakes, Lake Michigan.  For those not familiar 

with the Great Lakes, they appear to be more like an 

ocean than a lake ~ being called "Great" is not an

exaggeration by any means.  Grand Haven is a lovely

American small town with a thriving downtown and

beautiful old homes.  But the best reason for us to 

visit Grand Haven is to spend time with our family.

Pat and Jim welcome us to their summer home and

show us such gracious hospitality.

It was Tulip Time in the nearby town of Holland, 

Michigan so we drove down to participate in the 

Tulip Festival.  Our first day we visited the Windmill

Island Gardens.  It was a perfect Spring day, warm 

but breezy.

Holland was settled by Dutch immigrants who had 

to carve out a community from what was essentially

a swamp with brutal winters.  Through much hard

work and perseverance the town thrived.

Through the 1950's, 90% of the town's population

was of Dutch heritage.  In the remaining years, that

demographic has changed but the town still likes

to celebrate it's roots.

In 1927 a local high school biology teacher 

suggested the town plant flowers as a community

beautification project.  Since most people in town

were Dutch, they chose tulips and imported bulbs

from the Netherlands and the Tulip Time Festival

was born.

In fairness to my readers, I have to say this is

nothing compared with a visit to the Netherlands

where you can see endless fields of tulips, visit the

 world renowned Keukenhof gardens and see Dutch

architecture and culture.  But for those who can't 

make a trip there, a visit the Holland, MI is a nice

little peek of what you would see in Holland.

The best part of the weekend for us of course is

getting to spend time with Pat and Jim.  We

never stop talking all weekend ~ it is such fun.

On Saturday night we went to the beach and 

hunted for driftwood and watched a spectacular

sunset.  On Sunday afternoon we explored the 

downtown shops and had a bite to eat.  All too

quickly it was time to head home.  we can't wait

to visit again!

Thanks Pat and Jim!